Kurama 1/2

Kurama 1/2
Chapter 4
By Kristin Huntsman

Hiei opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling. This was unaccustomed. But it was all right, this once. He wasn't trapped, this time. He turned his head to the right as soft breathing registered upon his consciousness. His eyes widened.
Kurama should have been there. But Hairspray most definitely should not have. Hiei looked at the two girls lying together in peaceful sleep for a second, slowly growing more amused. The taller of the two, who was Hairspray, slept carelessly, her body relaxed and semi-curled around Kurama's slightly smaller form. She had obviously snuck in sometime during the night, after they'd both gone to sleep. Kurama also slept easily, nestling into Hairspray's curves as they both lightly breathed in and out.
Hiei wondered if he should wake either of them. He debated it for a few seconds, sitting up to watch the two of them. Before he could come to a decision, though, Kurama opened her eyes.
"Ohayo, Hiei," she said as her glance fell upon him. She sat up and stretched her arms over her head. Hiei nodded, amused, as she looked next to her and saw her companion. "How did _she_ get in here?" Kurama asked.
"There aren't any holes in the wall, so I'd guess she used the door," Hiei replied. He couldn't resist adding on, "Did you sleep well?"
Kurama caught the implications immediately, and smiled at him. "_Very_," she replied.
"Do you want to wake her?" Hiei asked.
"I say we let her sleep," Kurama replied. "We both got to sleep late, and she had to have come in here even later than that." She stood up and walked to her pack, rifling through it for clothes. Totally unconcernedly, she slipped off her nightshirt and began to dress. Hiei quickly looked away.
"Still nervous?" Kurama asked him.
"What do _you_ think?" he demanded.
Kurama shrugged, pulling another shirt over her head as she looked at Hiei's turned back. "It doesn't bother me if you watch," she said. "But if it bothers you, then I'll try not to get splashed too often." She walked over to Hiei and draped her arms around his neck. She whispered huskily into his ear, "Does it _really_ bother you that much?"
Hiei spun and pushed her away. "What are you doing?!" he demanded.
Kurama laughed, and returned to getting dressed. "You're really too easy to get to," she said. "Either that or I know you well enough to know exactly what buttons to push."
Hiei growled at her, and grabbed his own clothes, pulling them on quickly. Kurama smiled and sat down on the edge of her pallet, rolling the cuffs of her pants legs up. "It's a pain having nearly a foot's height difference between myself and myself," she said. "If this keeps up, I may just buy a second set of clothes."
"Just as long as you don't get that dress you were wearing last night," Hiei commented absently.
"What dress?" Kurama asked. "The one you took off," Hiei replied sourly. "Green, with gold."
"Well, at least my dream self has good taste in clothes," Kurama offered. "When she manages to keep them on."
Hiei glared at her. "You get to wake your fiancee," he said, leaving.
"Thanks so much!" Kurama called after him. He didn't answer as the door shut behind him, and she sighed, turning to Hairspray. "Hairspray," she said, shaking her shoulder. "Hairspray, wake up."

Hairspray opened her eyes and looked into the face of the girl waking her up. For half a second, she couldn't remember who the girl was, or where she was, for that matter. Then she remembered coming into the cottage in the middle of the night. "Shuuichi!" she said happily. "Ohayo!"
Shuuichi sighed as she sat up. "I don't mind you sleeping in here with me, Hairspray," she said. "But asking first would be nice."
Hairspray dropped her eyes. "Gomen ne," she said apologetically. She hadn't thought about that.
"Daijoubu," Shuuichi reassured her. "Just ask next time, okay? Want to go find breakfast?"
"Hai!" Hairspray answered, getting up. She looked around. "Where's Hiei-san?"
"He just left," Shuuichi replied. "You came here in that?"
Hairspray glanced down at the thin satiny nightgown she was wearing and blushed. "I always wear this at night," she replied.
"Well, most of my stuff won't fit you too well," Shuuichi said. "But you're welcome to go through it and find something to wear."
"Arigato!" she said, beginning to search through the pack for something that might fit her reasonably well. She pulled out a white shirt and a pair of blue trousers. Shuuichi turned her back as she pulled off her nightgown and began to dress herself.
"You mean you just came here last night wearing that nightgown without thinking of what would happen in the morning when you didn't have any clothes?" Shuuichi asked.
Hairspray frowned. "... Not exactly," she said slowly.
"What do you mean?" Shuuichi asked.
"I wanted to," Hairspray admitted. "And it's another part of village law. I'm married to you by tradition already, so I have to sleep with you until... proof is given."
"WHAT?!" Shuuichi demanded, almost turning around before she caught herself.
"It's an old law," Hairspray said. "But it's a law nonetheless."
"I'm very glad that we're going back to Japan, then," Shuuichi muttered.
"You don't like me?" Hairspray asked as she finished buttoning the shirt. "I know I'm not as pretty as some of the other girls in the village, but...."
"It's not that," Shuuichi protested. "It's just that this is too... soon. We've barely even met each other."
"But we're married," Hairspray said, moving in front of her. "I'm your wife."
"Hairspray--" Shuuichi started, but Hairspray pressed a finger against her lips, silencing her.
"You are _my_ husband," she said firmly. "Girl body or no girl body." Her hand dropped to Shuuichi's soft curves, and started running in gentle strokes over the firm flesh, as she looked directly into Shuuichi's green eyes. "I know that this may just be some silly tradition to you, but it's my heritage, and it's the only way I know. I will _not_ let you go. I'll wait until you've graduated to properly marry you, because it is the wish of your mother, but I am already your wife, according to my people, and all I believe to be true."
She lowered her lips to the other girl's, and kissed her.

Kurama only half-listened to what Hairspray was saying, wondering how she could get out of it this time. <Great!> she thought. <Now I not only have to deal with Hiei liking me, but I have to deal with Hairspray, too! Hiei I at least know won't do anything. Hairspray apparently has no such reservations.> She snapped out of her thoughts as Hairspray's mouth touched hers. Her first reaction was to kiss her back, but that wasn't a great surprise. Kurama had always enjoyed intimacy with others. But this was different....
It was the first time she had kissed a human. Kurama's mother didn't count, that was parental love, not sexual love. But Hairspray's touch was _very_ sexual on her mouth, on her breasts. "Stop it!" she said, jerking her head away from Hairspray's, catching her hands with her own, and moving them away. She looked at her evenly. "You may be my wife, Hairspray, but I am not your husband," she said icily in Chinese, so that there could be no mistake of what she meant. "I will not be your husband until we're married on _my_ terms as well as yours. Keep that straight the next time you try to use your laws to justify an attempted seduction of me. Now, shall we go to breakfast?"
Hairspray slowly nodded, her eyes hurt. "Look, I don't mean to hurt you," Kurama said, sighing, "but I'm not ready for this, even if you are. Let's just take it slow, okay? I'll still be around in a couple years, so you don't need to rush and do it all now."
Hairspray considered that for a second, then nodded again. "As you wish, my husband," she said quietly. "Let's go to breakfast."
Kurama nodded and stood, offering Hairspray a hand as she got up off the floor.

Kuwabara looked up as Kurama entered the dining room with Hairspray. Kurama was wearing one of his green outfits, only he was a girl at the moment. And Hairspray.... Kuwabara looked more closely at the clothes she was wearing, and recognized them as being Kurama's. he thought, turning his attention back to Yukina. 
Genkai cleared her throat and spoke as everyone sat down to begin eating. "I hope everyone is ready to go back to Japan. The bus I've chartered to take us back to Hong Kong will be here shortly after noon."
"Aww, you mean we'll have to go back to school tomorrow?" Yuusuke moaned.
"Shut up!" Keiko scolded. "You're going, Yuusuke, if I have to splash you and put you in a cage to get you there!"
"Wonderful," Yuusuke muttered. "Just what I need, the entire school knowing about this stupid curse!"
"I guess we all have to find reasons to skip swimming in P.E. now," Kuwabara said. "Or our schools _will_ find out about the curses."
"Suits me fine," Kurama replied. "I was thinking of going for the volleyball team anyway, and that'll get me out of Phys. Ed. for sure."
"You have it lucky," Yuusuke said. "There's no way I'm trying out for any stupid school team!"
Keiko raised her hand and smacked him hard across the back of his head.
"Ite!" he said, turning to her. "What was that for?!"
"Stop being an idiot!" she said. "I'm not even sure I want to associate with a delinquent like you anymore!"
"What do you mean?" Yuusuke demanded. "You have more fun hanging out with me than you do with any of your wax-doll girlfriends!"
"Oh yeah?" Keiko retorted. "You call watching you fight demo--"
"Keiko-chan," Kurama interrupted quickly. "Can you think of any way for Yuusuke and Kuwabara-kun to get out of having to swim in P.E.?"
"Why?" Keiko asked, before she caught the subtle movement of his eyes towards Shiori and Hairspray, and realized what she'd been about to say. "Oh." She paused and considered. "Well, they could either skip P.E. altogether--"
"Suits me fine," Yuusuke interrupted. She glared at him, then continued.
"--or maybe get a doctor's note or something from Atsuko-san and Mr. and Mrs. Kuwabara," she concluded.
"Oneechan?" Kuwabara asked, looking at Shizuru hopefully.
Shizuru sighed and set down her rice. "All right," she said resignedly. "I'll talk to Mom and Dad. But only because I don't want anyone knowing my brother turns into a rabbit. And you'd better not even _think_ about getting out of any other classes!"
"All right!" Kuwabara said, digging back into his own rice. "Arigato, oneechan!"
Shizuru shook her head and looked at Atsuko. Atsuko gave her a wry look and turned to Yuusuke.
"What is it, Ma?" he asked.
"What makes you think that you're going to skip more classes?" she demanded. "If you're going to cut, then you're going to work instead."
"No, I'm not," Yuusuke insisted. "I already have a job."
"It doesn't pay the bills," Atsuko pointed out. "Either get your lazy ass in gear and start attending, or you can move out and live on your own. School isn't free."
"Why should I?" he argued.
"Do you go to school with them?" Hairspray asked Kurama.
"No," he replied. "We just hang out together. Yuusuke and Kuwabara go to a junior high near me."
"Oh," she said. "And Hiei?"
"Hiei does his own thing," Kurama replied. <And then some.>

Hairspray stood in the bedroom that she shared with two of her female cousins, carefully packing what she was going to take with her to Japan. <For once they aren't annoying me,> she thought as she looked at the half of the room that belonged to the 12-year-old twins. <Thank Kamisama.>
She looked in annoyance at the half-filled pack, sitting there on the floor. "I thought I had enough things to fill you..." she muttered to herself and turned back to her small dresser, searching through the drawers once more.
"Clothes, clothes, clothes... jewelry, clothes... aaahh, where is it?" Hairspray ran her fingers though her hair, then pushed the clothes aside and dug into the very back of the drawer. Her questing fingers found the small crack that she was searching for, and pulled at it. The false back came away, and she pulled the small box out of its hiding place.
Hairspray sat down on the floor and settled the box between her legs. Opening it, she glanced fondly at the contents and smiled to herself. She shook her head softly and closed it, carefully nestling it in her pack amidst her clothes. She pulled the rest of the contents of her dresser out and dumped them carelessly into the pack. "Good enough," she said to herself, and closed the top of the pack.
"Hairspray," an age-roughened voice called from the doorway. "Are you finished packing?"
"Yes, Grandmother," Hairspray replied, turning around to face the silver-haired woman. "I'm finished."
"You really should take better care of your clothes, child," she said, walking over to the pack and opening it. She surveyed the messy clothes with dismay and sighed, falling to her knees, pulling them out. Her eyes widened as she saw the box settled in the pack. "So you didn't forget this," she said, pulling it out and gently caressing the mellow, smooth-grained wood. "I was afraid you might."
"I would never forget that, Grandmother," Hairspray said. "It's all I have from her."
"You grow more like her every day, my child," the old woman said. "I only regret that you never knew Lotion."
"What was she like?" Hairspray asked.
"I've told you before, Hairspray," Handcream replied, as her grandchild fell to her knees next to her.
"I need to hear again, Grandmother," she said. "Please - just once more."
The regal woman looked at the teenager before her. Something, she knew, was wrong. "You have to go, child," she said quietly. "You know that."
"What if he isn't the one?" Hairspray asked, her voice quiet. "Grandmother, he rejected me! What if he doesn't marry me, after all?! What if--"
"Hairspray!" Handcream broke in. "Listen to yourself! Is this how I raised you?!" The teenager looked at her, her eyes confused. Handcream sighed. "You are going into your destiny, my child, and you must face it as a warrior. You said that you have sensed he was your destiny; this is a favorable sign. And even if he isn't, then he guides you upon your path. You have always known that you would be the one from our family to leave the village; now you do it. I want you to face this as your mother would have."
"I never knew my mother," Hairspray argued. "Only what you have told me of her. I will face this _my_ way."
"Your back stiffens with pride, child," her grandmother observed. "This is a good thing. You'll survive."

Hiei watched the actions of the villagers from their roofs again. He looked up at the sun, and guessed that it was nearly time to leave. He sighed and dropped from the roof, heading towards the clearing where everyone was supposed to gather for the bus.
A young child called out something in Chinese as she tossed a bucket of water out onto the street.
 Hiei thought, observing the folds of fabric that his cloak made on the pavement.
A voice behind him muttered something unintelligible in Chinese. Hiei turned around and was slightly taken aback by the large cutting knife in the big woman's hand. It looked sharp.
<Shit!> he thought, turning the other way and running as fast as he could. If he'd been in his own body, there wouldn't be any problem, but the look in the woman's eyes had said "lunch," and there was no way he was stupid enough to argue with a sharp knife while in a cat's body. The woman gave chase. Hiei thought, his tail lashing as he tried to move faster.
He saw Kuwabara ahead of him, and realized that he'd have to rely on the idiot to get this woman off his tail. He raced forward and lept, just as the knife sliced down on where he had been. He landed on Kuwabara's shoulder, quickly adjusted for balance, and curled around the Kuwabara's neck, keeping the idiot between him and the large Chinese woman wielding the sharp knife.

"Huh?" Kuwabara asked as the cat landed on his shoulder. It looked familiar for some reason.... <Probably a village stray,> he thought. He looked at the woman in front of him, who clearly wanted the cat. Probably to cook, given the large knife in her hand. Kuwabara made a quick decision in the cat's favor. Maybe Shizuru would let him have another cat. Eikichi would probably like the company. "Not dinner," he said, trying to enunciate clearly, and hoping that the woman understood Japanese. "Pet. My pet."

<_What_?!> Hiei thought. He glared at Kuwabara, but the idiot was too busy trying to explain to the villager to notice him. <I'm going to kill him for this.> How dare the idiot try to pretend that he was his pet? He would sooner die--
Hiei took another look at the large knife in the woman's hand, and decided that he really didn't want to test that theory yet.
<Fine. Let him get me out of this. I'll settle with him later.> He watched as the woman turned away, obviously disappointed at losing her dinner-on-the-paw.
"C'mon, kitty," Kuwabara said. "You're coming home with me."
<_WHAT?!_> Hiei mentally demanded. <He's _got_ to be kidding! He thinks that I'm just a normal cat?!!>
"I wonder what I should call you?" Kuwabara continued, completely oblivious to Hiei's glare. "My other cat's named Eikichi. I think you'll like her."
 Hiei thought, grumpily settling down on Kuwabara's shoulder as the idiot started walking towards the meeting place. 

Kurama looked up as Kuwabara came down the path between the huts. "Hiei?" he asked, looking at the small black cat on Kuwabara's shoulder.
"Hiei?" Kuwabara asked, sounding disappointed as the cat jumped down and walked over to Kurama.
"Mrow!" Hiei said insistently.
"All right," Kurama sighed. "Let's go find your stuff."
"Mrow!" Hiei agreed, walking off.
"Darn!" Kuwabara muttered. "I liked the idea of having another cat!"
Kurama and Hiei returned in a few minutes, Kurama carrying Hiei's pile of discarded clothing. "Let's go," Kurama said, moving towards the bus.
"But what about Hiei?" Keiko asked, looking at the feline that stood next to Kurama.
"Last call!" the bus driver called out.
"We can get him changed back when we get to Hong Kong," Kurama replied. "The bus is leaving."
"You guys had better get going," Yuusuke said from where he was stretching next to the bus.
"Genkai making you run back?" Kurama asked.
"Yeah," Yuusuke said with a sour look on her face. "Baasan said 'All in the name of training, my son," which means she wants to torture me some more."
"You're the one who puts up with it," Keiko pointed out.
"Yeah, well, if it makes me fight better, then it's worth it."
"Come on, the bus's leaving!" Shizuru called from the doorway of the bus.
"Coming!" Keiko called back, running towards it.
"See you in Hong Kong, then," Kurama said to Yuusuke.
"Yeah. Later!" Yuusuke sprinted off. Hiei and Kurama looked at each other and shrugged, boarding the bus. The driver closed the door behind them, and drove off, following Yuusuke's cloud of dust.

As the bus drove off, Hairspray sat silently in the back seat, looking at the villagers as they waved good-bye to her. When the village was completely out of sight, she turned around and looked at the newly-familiar faces around her. Her future would be with them. <Let it be a good future,> she silently prayed, then turned with a smile on her lips to her husband.

Author's Ramblings: All characters and situations invented by and shamelessly stolen from Yoshihiro Togashi and Rumiko Takahashi, excluding Hairspray, Handcream, and the Chinese matron.
I don't speak Chinese (please, no one hurt me!), so I didn't put any actual Chinese words in, and when Hairspray and her grandmother were speaking, they _were_ talking in Chinese.
I hope everyone likes this chapter as much as the previous three (or dare I hope, more?), even though it does kind of tend to focus on Hairspray. Hmm... I just realized that the first four chapters occur over a three-day period.... Well, it'll start moving a little faster soon. And maybe have a few more punchlines. Though the idea of a woman chasing neko-Hiei, wielding a butcher's knife, was too good to let go to waste. I hope that _someone_ besides me appreciates that mental image!
I owe thanks to RR for posting this for me, as the mail-to-news server I was using is gone, Shi-chan, Sandy, and John, for being my editors, and the entire (now defunct) YYHNML for letting me test my evilness out on them first. Who else? Mari and Rabi, for being vocal (a rare trait) and encouraging me to write.
Next chapter: back to Japan, back to school... school meets Hairspray, and "Minamino Kurama." Insert Ranma reaction on the part of the school... <going off to snicker quietly in my corner here>

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